List of Famous people who died at 49

Vanessa Rosalia Marquez was an American actress. She was primarily known for her recurring role in the first three seasons of ER as nurse Wendy Goldman, as well as her role as Ana Delgado in the 1988 biographical drama film, Stand and Deliver.

Venu Madhav was an Indian film actor, television presenter, mimicry artist and comedian known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, and few Tamil and Kannada films. He was one of the finest comedians in the Telugu cinema, he starred in some 170 films in a variety of roles, starting his career as an impressionist; imitating celebrities, politicians, and local dialects. He received breakthrough in cinema with works such as Master (1997), and Tholi Prema (1998).

Ottis Elwood Toole was an American drifter and serial killer who was convicted of six counts of murder. Like his companion Henry Lee Lucas, Toole made confessions he then later recanted, which resulted in murder convictions. The discrediting of the case against Lucas for crimes for which Toole had offered corroborating statements created doubts as to whether either was a genuine serial killer or, as Hugh Aynesworth suggested, both were merely compliant interviewees whom police used to clear unsolved murders from the books.

Aadesh Shrivastava was a music composer and singer of Indian music. Initially, he had worked as an assistant to many great music composers like R .D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan, etc. before working independently as a music director. Over the course of his career, he had composed music for over 100 Hindi films. Just a day after he turned 51, he died of cancer in Kokilaben Hospital.

Christa Päffgen, known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, musician, model, and actress. She had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls (1966).

Jens "Malle-Jens" Büchner was a German schlager singer.

James Byrd Jr. was a black American man who was murdered by three white men, two of whom were avowed white supremacists, in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer, and John King dragged him for three miles behind a pickup truck along an asphalt road. Byrd, who remained conscious for much of his ordeal, was killed about halfway through the dragging when his body hit the edge of a culvert, severing his right arm and head. The murderers drove on for another 1+1⁄2 miles before dumping his torso in front of a black church.

Marko Živić was a Serbian actor and comedian. Dubbed as a great "showman" by media, Živić started his theatre career in 2002 at the Belgrade Drama Theatre. He initially rose to prominence for his role as Lepi Lukić in the televised comedy Folk. His later known portrayals are of good-hearted and vulnerable musician Mika Armonika in Psi laju, velar nosi and cunning drug dealer Vasilije in Shadows over Balkan. His film credits include Čitulja za Eskobara, The Belgrade Phantom and Montevideo, God Bless You!. Živić also hosted the The Marko Živić Show.

Stuart Orlando Scott was an American sportscaster and anchor on ESPN, most notably on SportsCenter. Well known for his hip-hop style and use of catchphrases, Scott was also a regular for the network in its National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) coverage.

Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai, commonly known as Najibullah or Dr. Najib, was an Afghan politician who served as the leader of Afghanistan from 1986 to 1992 and as well as the President of Afghanistan from 1987 until his resignation in April 1992, shortly after which the mujahideen took over Kabul. After a failed attempt to flee to India, Najibullah remained in Kabul living in the United Nations headquarters until his death at the hands of the Taliban after their capture of the city.